Novel flexible broadband microwave absorptive fabrics coated with graphite nanosheets/polyurethane nanocomposites

Graphite nanosheets (GNS) were prepared by surfactant assisted ultrasonication from expanded graphite (EG) and followed by coating onto vinylon fabrics with water-borne polyurethane (WPU). The morphology of GNS and GNS/polyurethane (PU) coatings was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), and the structure of GNS was studied by fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Electromagnetic (EM) parameters indicated that GNS is a kind of dielectric loss material, in which little magnetic loss is found. Reflection loss (RL) results showed that both GNS content and coated thickness had great influences on the microwave absorption. For the fabric coated with GNS/PU nanocomposites (30/100 by weight, wet thickness of 0.39 mm for dry areal density in 130 g/m2), RL values exceeding −5 dB could be obtained in the frequency range of 10.7–18 GHz, while −10 dB in 12.7–18 GHz, and a minimum value of −28 dB at 15.2 GHz. These GNS/PU coated fabrics are light and flexible with much thin and low-cost coated layer, and showed great potential in radar camouflaging and electromagnetic interference application.